Kansas City streetcar RFP elicits two proposals

Two firms submitted proposals ahead of Kansas City’s Nov. 21 deadline to submit Requests for Proposals and Qualifications for the Main Street streetcar, City Engineer Ralph Davis said.

Architecture, construction, engineering and consulting firms HDR Inc., based in Omaha, Neb., and URS Corp., (NYSE: URS) based in San Francisco, submitted proposals for the final design, Davis said. HDR previously worked with the city as a consultant on the streetcar project.

The city will make its final decision after interviewing the firms and viewing their proposal presentations on Dec. 3, Davis said. The city will negotiate a contract with the winning firm on Dec. 10.

“This is a critical phase,” Davis said. “We’re not going to see a lot of dramatic changes until we get through this final design phase.”

Ballots approving a measure allowing the city to raise about $74 million for the streetcar through a 1-cent sales tax and property assessments in Downtown are due on Dec. 11. The streetcar will run down Main Street from the River Market to Crown Center.